16.06.2009
Love à la Darwin
A date with Darwin: from the perspective of evolution, beauty plays an important role in the choice of partner. But what is beauty? There are no fixed measurements for beauty—but there are rules and laws of nature according to which we can evaluate good appearance. Modern behavioural biology examines the signal effect of face and body and recognises that our appearance has a considerable effect on choice of partner. But not all aspects have yet been sufficiently researched. With their studies, the behavioural biologists from Göttingen hope to open a new chapter in the history of the search for the ideal partner. It's sure to be anything but boring: what role do, for example, the appearance of the skin or the body movements of another play?
In order to watch the videos you need a Flash Player upgrade or you need to install Flash Player if it's missing. You can download the Player for free at Adobe
Love à la Darwin: Episode 09, 18/01/2010
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
Mirror, mirror on the wall… am I beautiful enough? People have always worried about their appearance and tried to make themselves as beautiful as possible – always in accordance with the current ideals of beauty, of course. Christine has also got a bee in her bonnet about improving her appearance, and now she is trying to get closer to the ideal by wearing high heels and going on a diet of carrots. All Olli can do is shake his head in dismay. Is it just the media to blame for us perceiving ourselves and others as more or less beautiful?
At a glance
Field of Research:
Behavioural Biology, Biology, Social Psychology
Location:
Goettingen
Episodes:
11
Season/Year:
2. Season/ 2009
Status:
Finished
Topics:
christine, appearance, attractiveness, plastic surgery, beauty standards, worry
30.06.2009
Test Couple Wanted
Eyes, legs, bottom: What do men and women look for when choosing the ideal partner? Why do they find one another attractive? And do tastes really differ?
13.07.2009
My Kind of Guy
Oh man! Christine is ogling loads of strange men today, and it’s all in the name of research. While she eyes the men up, the researchers measure the direction and duration of her gaze. What is her kind of guy?
06.08.2009
Skin and Love
Getting superficial: What makes a woman’s face beautiful? Using model faces, the researchers aim to answer this question – and first and foremost: What role do wrinkles and complexion play in finding a partner?
07.09.2009
Happiness Made to Measure
Is it possible to describe the attraction between two people according to their vital statistics? Scientists claim that you can! Or at least there are certain features that affect men’s and women’s perception of the opposite sex.
23.09.2009
Dirty Dancing
The moving man: How do movements affect the opposite sex? Olli takes the dance test…
26.10.2009
Want to Go Shopping? Of Course!
Justification for full wardrobes? Why ovulation makes women want to go shopping.
14.12.2009
Masculine, More Masculine, the Most Masculine
Are men really more daring than women and what has that got to do with the ring finger?
11.01.2010
Can You Read a Face like a Book?
What type of personality should my dream partner have? And, can I infer what type of personality a person has from what his face looks like?
18.01.2010
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
Am I beautiful? Christine is worrying about her appearance. Who defines what beautiful is, anyway?
25.01.2010
The Last Time
Has love reached the end? Why the end is just the beginning and why partner selection is a life's work.
Search
Field of Research
Universities
Locations
Timeframe of Coverage
- Archaeology
- Architecture
- Assyriology
- Atmospheric Research
- Atomphysics
- Behavioural Biology
- Biology
- Botany
- Cellular Neuroscience
- Chemistry
- Civil Engineering
- Climate Science
- Climatology
- Computer Science
- Conversation
- Cultural Sciences
- East Asian Art Histor...
- Ecology
- Economics
- Egyptology
- Electrical Engineerin...
- Engineering Sciences
- English Studies
- Epidemiology
- Ethnology
- Forestry
- Fundamental Genomics ...
- Genetics
- Geochemistry
- Geography
- Geology
- Geomatics
- Geosciences
- History
- Human Geography
- Hydrogeologie
- Hydrology
- Indology
- Islamic Studies
- Jewish Studies
- Life Sciences
- Limnology
- Materials Science
- Mathematics
- Medical Psychology
- Medicine
- Meteorology
- Molecular Physics
- Musicology
- Mycology
- Oceanography
- Ornithology
- Paleontology
- Physics
- Physiology
- Plant Science
- Population Genetics
- Pre- and Protohistory
- Quantum Optics
- Religious Studies
- Restoration
- Sinology
- Social Psychology
- Soil Science
- Solid State Physics
- Southasian Ethnology
- Statistics
- Systems Technology
- Theology
- Town Planning
- Urban and Regional Pl...
- Zoology
- Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus
- Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel
- Cologne University of Applied Sciences
- Ernst Moritz Arndt University Greifswald
- Frankfurt University
- Friedrich Schiller University Jena
- Georg-August-University Goettingen
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
- LMU Munich
- Leibniz University Hannover
- Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
- Philipps-Universitaet Marburg
- RWTH Aachen University
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich
- Technische Universitaet Dresden
- Technische Universitaet Munich
- Technische Universität Berlin
- University of Bielefeld
- University of Bonn
- University of Bremen
- University of Cologne
- University of Hamburg
- University of Heidelberg
- University of Konstanz
- University of Rostock
- Aachen
- Angkor / Cambodia
- Armenia
- Austria
- Berlin
- Bielefeld
- Bonn
- Braunschweig
- Brazil
- Bremen
- China
- Cologne
- Delhi / India
- Dhaka / Bangladesh
- Dresden
- Egypt
- England
- France
- Frankfurt
- Goettingen
- Greece
- Greifswald
- Gulf of Mexico
- Gutianshan / China
- Halle
- Hannover
- Heidelberg
- India
- Iraq (Mesopotamia)
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Jena
- Jiangxi / China
- Karlsruhe
- Kiel
- Kiel Canal
- Lake Constance
- Mallorca / Spain
- Marocco
- Muenster
- Munich
- Nepal
- North Atlantic
- Olpe
- Ostsee
- Pakistan
- Pakistan
- Pearl River Delta / C...
- Potsdam
- Rio San Francisco / E...
- Schwerin
- Siberia
- South Africa
- Syria
- Taiwan
- Turkey
- Welzow
- Wilhelmshaven
DFG Science TV on
